[Expression of the monoclonal antibody against nucleocapsid antigen of SARS-associated coronavirus in autopsy tissues from SARS patients].

He, Li; Ding, Yan-qing; Che, Xiao-yan; Zhang, Qing-ling; Huang, Zhong-xi; Wang, Hui-jun; Shen, Hong; Li, Zhu-guo; Cai, Jun-jie; Zhang, Jin-hua; Geng, Jian; Li, Xin; Zhang, Wen-li; Han, Hui-xia; Kang, Wei; Yang, Lei; Lu, Yao-dan

OBJECTIVE To investigate the presence and distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in autopsy tissues obtained from patients died of SARS. METHODS Immunohistochemical technique was applied in 4 fatal SARS cases to examine the autopsy tissues including the lungs, spleen, lymph nodes, brain, pituitary, heart, liver, kidney, pancreas, trachea, esophagus, gastrointestinal tract, adrenal glands, parathyroids, skin and bone marrow. RESULTS Immunohistochemistry identified positive monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV nuceeocapsid (N) protein in the alveolar epithelium and the infiltrating monocytes or macrophages in the lung, spleen and lymph nodes; the presence of the antibody was also detected in the serous gland epithelium of the trachea/bronchus, squamous epithelium of the esophagus, the gastric parietal cells, the epithelium of the intestinal tract, acidophilic cells in the parathyroids and pituitary, acinus cells in the pancreas, adrenal cortical cells, sweat gland cells, small vessel endothelium, bone marrow promyelocytes, epithelial cells of the distal convoluted tubule of the kidney, brain neurons, and the hepatocytes near the central vein. CONCLUSIONS A variety of organs and tissues can be infected by SARS-CoV, and the positive expression of SARS-CoV N protein in the epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract, the distal convoluted tubule of the kidney and the sweat gland cells is significant for studying the transmission routes of SARS.